First I’d like to show you my Harvey tea cosy. I think he really suits this use and he looks particularly good next to my Cornishware and other blue & white china. I’ve changed my Harvey pattern to include the tea-cosy, with guidelines to measure your teapot and create a cosy that’s just right. You can find the revised pattern here.
And now my request for help please. I have decided (with some trepidation, but totally encouraged by Julie) to embark upon making a quilt. I am starting small and have decided to incorporate my Four Seasons Bunnies blocks from Nakisha into a cot quilt. I have found a pattern …. here it is with the bunny blocks overlaid….
The instructions said it could be completed in a weekend which sounded about right for a beginner to try.
Now I need to find some fabric and this is where I need some help please. What I would like is fabric picking up the floss colours in the rabbit blocks that is modern and funky looking. Ditsy florals are great in the right place, but I don’t think they would work with Nakisha’s designs.
As a total beginner though, I don’t have any idea where to start searching for quilting fabrics and I wondered if anybody would be kind enough to give me a pointer towards designers/ranges to look at please? Thank you so much from nervous newbie quilter!! xx
You can't go wrong with the FQS
http://www.fatquartershop.com/index.asp?Store_id=499&Page_Id=15&T=1
You can look there and see what you like and then if you want have a look around and compare prices. Linda
Strawberry Fayre http://www.strawberryfayre.co.uk/, The Tabbycat http://thetabbycat.com/ Cotton Patch http://www.cottonpatch.co.uk/ and The Quilt Room http://www.quiltroom.co.uk in that order!
I use all of these!
Julie xxxxxxxxx
Check out CLOTHWORKS.
They are reasonably priced, high quality fabrics.
http://www.clothworks.com/fabric_collections.asp
When I saw your bunnies, I immediately thought of fabric designer "Heather Ross".
If you're looking for fun, vibrant and modern, check out designers Amy Butler and Kaffe Fassett.
Michael Miller fabrics has a nice option called "Color Stories" — where you can look at fabric(s) based upon color choices.
http://www.michaelmillerfabrics.com/MMF/ColorStories.cfm?Gid=1275
Helen that is wonderful news …. Must warn you though it is highly addictive!
If you have chance to go to a quilt shop it is so much easier to match colours.
There is the most wonderfully helpful quilt shop in Southport who, if you send a photo or even tell them floss colours will send you photos of possible fabrics.
They are called Craftsandquilts
http://www.craftsandquilts.net/index.asp
They are so reasonable and so very very helpful. Its a proper family business who care enough about their customers they even send personally signed Christmas cards! Who is as wonderful as that these days?
I don't get commission – honest!
Can't wait to see your fabric choices and finished quilt
Jo
Recommend the Aunt Grace's range of 30's retro small florals and geometrics (lots of places do them). Best tip is to always go for good quality 'proper' quilting cottons. That's a great beginners pattern, I'm sure your quilt will be lovely x
I think some Brandon Mably fabrics would be great fun. Canton Village Quilt Works has 6 pages of his fabric. I especially like Dancing Paisley, Scales and Waves. http://www.cvquiltworks.com/shop/category/fabric/designer-1/brandon-mably-fabrics/
wonderful! I'm not good with fabric selection, but I second Dee.
Oh, but you said modern and funky. Then I second who said Amy and Kaffe.
I recommend Fancy Moon Fabric shop on ebay, excellent service and wide range of fabrics including Amy Butler and Kaffe Fassett. I like the Alexander Henry range (though not necessarily for quilting).
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/fancymoonfabrics
Carol xx
I can't seem to make the link to the tea cosy work – it comes up with :
Provider error '8000ffff'
Catastrophic failure
/prod5.asp, line 37
I have never had a 'catastrophic ' Failure before!
What a lovely idea for a quilt Helen. I can't wait to see.
As for modern fabrics I follow this blog
http://veryberryhandmade.co.uk
every Sunday she does a blog post on various UK shops and highlights some of their latest fabric collections.
Kerry has also prepared a big list of UK quilting fabric links
http://veryberryhandmade.co.uk/about/big-list-of-uk-fabric-shops/
Good luck with your project.
Margaret
Here's a link for a great online shop http://quilthome.com/ the fabrics are beautiful, great visuals & they are quite quick to deliver.
Enjoy 😀
Karen x
I love Moda and Amy Butler… Have actually found some lovely fabrics in John Lewis recently, though not sure if there is one near you. Moda do a great polka dot range which I have found very versatile for patchwork.
Helen, You are so talented I bet quilting will come very easy to you! Susan Branch's fabrics are very good quality, 100% cotton and fun, but I don't know if the colors would work?
http://shopping.susanbranch.com/Love-To-Sew-C98.aspx
I would recommend bringing your idea to your local quilt shop and get some advice from the pros. They are always anxious to help and any advice you get will be valuable. Bunny quilts…can't go wrong with "Bunny Hill" from Anne Sutton!
Oh, forgot to say I think it is SO clever to make the Nakisha bunny blocks into a cot quilt! It would look so cute in a child's bedroom.
Since it's a small quilt, have you thought about reusing second-hand clothing? New fabric is lovely, but you might also find something in the local thrift shop.
You may even stumble upon some fabric. I would prewash it and press it before use though.
Good luck!
Choosing from the internet is difficult matching colours. Last time I was in Kingsbridge ( a while now!) there was Busy Bee Art & Crafts at the top of Fore Streeet which had fabric. Do you know/heard of Ani Catt in East Prawle (www.anicatt.co.uk) I know of her through BQL, a Yahoo on-line Group. Other choices – The Quilting Studio, Moretonhampstead, Daisy Chain, Plymouth, Serendipity at Bovey Tracey, and shops in Torquay, Newton Abbot, South Molton and Pyworthy Villavin Crafts. All in my notebook for when I next visit Kingsbridge!! It's addictive! Regards from Morag
Good luck with the quilting – you can sew fantastic things and so I'm sure you will find it easy and rewarding.This Denyse Schmidt line has alway been popular and is well recognised. Available from Fabricworm in the USA -I buy from them regularly and it's very good service.
http://fabricworm.blogspot.com/2011/11/hope-valley-by-denyse-schmidt-is-back.html
I don't have more to add, but I am glad I read the comments. Thanks Jo, I've been trying to match some DMC thread colours to some fabrics (I don't have a LQS) and the two online stores I approached have been extremely unhelpful. I'll try your recommendation!
Moda fabrics are great. you can find them online.
Fabrics.com has a lovely selection, and good customer service with reasonable prices to boot!
Wow! there is a wealth of information here in the comments! Might be a very useful thing, if you are so inclined, to create a link post to all of these resources.